Pakistan to Probe If ‘External Interference’ Caused Power Failure: Energy Minister

Shopkeepers sit at a market during a nationwide power outage, in Islamabad, on Jan. 23, 2023. - A massive power breakdown in Pakistan on Jan. 23 affected most of the country's more than 220 million people, including in the mega cities of Karachi and Lahore. (Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan’s energy minister said on Jan. 24 that the government would investigate the possibility of “external interference” in the widespread power failure on Jan. 23, which left 220 million people without electricity for hours.

Speaking at a press conference, Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had formed a three-member committee to investigate the cause of the power failure.

“[We] need to probe if there was an external interference, like an internet attack, although that’s less likely,” the minister said.

Dastgir also denied claims that Pakistan was running out of fuel to operate power plants. He claimed that a fluctuation in voltage had led to power stations shutting down automatically, leading to power outages.

He cautioned that there would be an electricity shortage this week due to limited load management being carried out while Pakistan’s two nuclear power plants and coal plants restarted in the next 48 hours.

Sharif posted an apology on Twitter for the power outage, saying that “an inquiry is underway to determine reasons of the power failure” and pledged that it “will be fixed.”

The Ministry of Energy said on Tuesday that all 1,112 grid stations across Pakistan were restored within 24 hours. However, local media reported that some parts of the country were still without electricity.

A man sits outside his shop during a country-wide power breakdown in Karachi, Pakistan, on Jan. 23, 2023. (Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)

Monday’s blackout engulfed schools, factories, and shops, and many among Pakistan’s 220 million people were without drinking water as pumps powered by electricity also failed to work. In key businesses and institutions, including main hospitals, military, and government facilities, backup generators kicked in.

Authorities had turned off electricity during low-usage hours on the eve of Jan. 22 to conserve fuel, according to an energy-saving plan. Efforts to turn the power back on early Monday morning led to the system-wide meltdown.

Pakistan is grappling with one of the country’s worst economic crises in recent years amid dwindling foreign exchange reserves. That has compelled the government to order shopping malls and markets to close by 8:30 p.m. to conserve energy.

The outage was reminiscent of a massive blackout in January 2021, attributed at the time to a technical fault in Pakistan’s power generation and distribution system. Pakistan gets at least 60 percent of its electricity from fossil fuels, while nearly 27 percent is generated by hydropower. The contribution of nuclear and solar power to the nation’s grid is about 10 percent.

Talks are underway with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to soften some conditions on Pakistan’s $6 billion bailout, which the government thinks will trigger further inflation hikes. The IMF released the last crucial tranche of $1.1 billion to Islamabad in August last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.